Heating
by EternallyFab
Summary: AoStH. In a frigid rainstorm, two robots struggle to find some heat. Scrounder.


It was a miserable day. The sky, once pleasingly pink, had lost colour and clouded over, and there had begun to appear a slow but steady pattern of raindrops littering the landscape.

Inside, the tempestuous Dr. Robotnik had just launched into yet another one of his infamous tirades, which were always peppered with qualifiers like "robotic rejects" and "metallic morons". In Robotnik's mind, this ranting was justified, as these two robotic minions were always bungling his schemes.

"Can I really trust you this time?" he asked, shaking his head ruefully at Grounder and Scratch.

"Yes, your repugnancy!" they both chorused.

Robotnik proceeded to march over to the wall, on which there was a large, detailed map of Mobius. With a stick he'd pulled out of nowhere, he tapped a tiny section of the map. "In this rrrregion of Mobius," he began, "there exists a small variety of rare mammal called the 'Dingalo'. It is a very valuable and vicious specimen, and I want you two to catch one and bring it back to my fortress."

"But how are we going to get there?" Grounder asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Their boss unveiled a small mauve vehicle, with a stylish lack of roof, and presented it to them. "This is the Egg-O-Matic Road Ranger, capable of speeds of two hundred miles per hour. It is fully equipped with everything you need to catch the little rodent."

Scratch contemplated the vehicle. "I like it," he said, hopping into the driver's seat. Grounder took the passenger's seat and added, "Yeah. When do we start?"

"NOW!"

Robotnik heaved the vehicle, sending it flying out the doors, which then slammed shut with a loud, satisfying _bang_.

Grounder shrank away from the now-heavy rain. "I hope this thing is convertible."

"Lemme check." Scratch fiddled with the controls, pressing each button on the control panel. It seemed that every function - air conditioning, music, a coffee-maker, and even a portable microwave - was available. Except, of course, for a concrete roof over their heads. "I guess not."

"Aw, man!" Grounder threw his arms up, inadvertently flicking some of the rain off of him and onto Scratch. "Why does Dr. Robotnik make us go outside in such crummy weather?"

"Y-y-eah!" Scratch agreed, shivering a little. "It's times like this that make me wish I could th-th-throttle that Robotnik. Why, I oughta..."

Grounder wasn't listening -- his eye had caught sight of something bright red on the floor. Using his hand attachment, he picked it up curiously and looked at it. "Hey, what's this?"

It turned out to be a warm, soft blanket. A small bit of writing on the tag said "Egg-O-Matic Waterproof Heating Device", but Grounder didn't notice that as he wrapped it around his form.

Their drive lasted a little while longer until Scratch finally noticed that his companion was no longer green, but red. And pleased. At that point, he shut off the car and glared at Grounder.

"Hey, Scratch, why did we stop?"  
"What is this?"

Scratch picked at the blanket. Grounder, unwilling to give the warm comforter up, tried to argue his side.

"What do you care? You're supposed to be driving, anyway." That wasn't an excuse. Grounder knew that it wasn't an excuse. But it was the best he could come up with, and he wouldn't budge.

"That's my point! It's _your _turn to drive, and _my _turn to have the blanket!"

"Nuh-uh," Grounder said, pulling the comforter around himself and pouting. "It's mine."

Scratch sighed and leaned in. "Y'know, Grounder," he said, playing with Grounder's antenna and pushing it back and forth, "if you drive...I'll make it worth your while." He let it go, causing it to vibrate a little before snapping back into place.

"Uh, o-okay," replied Grounder. He had never liked it when Scratch played with his antenna like that; it had always made him feel...peculiar.

Scratch smirked as they switched seats. He tugged away the blanket from Grounder's grasp, and settled into the passenger's seat, cozy at last. The smaller robot sat in the front seat, and struggled to put a tread on the gas - and off they drove into the uncertain mist.

--

"Yay! We're here!"

It was around nine-o-clock when they arrived at the correct region. (Grounder, despite the implementation of a GPS system, had gotten lost several times.) The area was lit by fireflies, but apart from that it seemed curiously bare and devoid of life.

Grounder turned his normal drill into a magnifying glass. "Come on, Scratch," he said, wheeling around the terrain. "Let's go catch one of those things!"

A bleary-eyed Scratch lifted his head. "Urgh. Can't we just rest for tonight? We'll catch one tomorrow."

Grounder tried to protest, but a loud yawn broke through his speech. "I guess so. Hey, is there a bed in here?"

Sure enough, the back on the vehicle could transform into a bed - but it was a twin, which seemed hardly roomy enough for two robots. "Dibs on the bed!" both called, almost at once. Scratch, however, had managed to dibs it a second before Grounder did, and before the bot could argue Scratch had claimed it, flopping down on the bed and remarking, "Say, this thing is pretty nice."

Grounder wheeled off indignantly, wondering inwardly whether there was anywhere else he could sleep. A thought popped into his head. "Scratch, is there maybe another bed in there?"

Scratch smiled back down on him, stretching out to take all the space. "Nope," he told Grounder. "This one's the only bed here, and I've got it! Ba-ha-ba-haaaaa!"

"Where'm **I** supposed to sleep, then?"

The tall robot shooed him off. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe in the back of the Ranger or something. Just don't bother me, I'm taking a snooze."

Grounder noticed that Scratch still had the blanket tightly wrapped around his frame. It wasn't fair, he thought - Scratch had both the comforter and the bed, and he had to rub it in Grounder's face.

The poor robot tried to lean on the ground and fall asleep, but the hard, unforgiving earth prevented him from doing so. He went over to the back of the Road Ranger, as Scratch had told him, but - "Hey! The back's just the bed!" Grounder sighed, hopeless. It seemed that he would have to remain awake for the rest of the night.

--

Scratch was a very loud snorer.

Grounder knew this because all the time he'd kept awake - two and a half hours, to be exact - Scratch had been sleeping contentedly in the bed.

What had once been tolerable for Grounder had become just another bone of contention with him. The robot was no longer feeling sad - he was mad. Angry. Upset. Indignant. And he didn't care who knew it, least of all that Scratch.

He wheeled over to the bed, took it, and shook it violently. Scratch stared at him, disturbed from his peaceful slumber.

"Grounder, what do you think you're doing?!"

"_Please_ share the bed, Scratch!"

"Never. Now, please leave me alone. I'm trying to get some rest!"

Grounder, dumb as he normally was, knew exactly what to do.

He rolled up to Scratch, took hold of his wattle, and began to stroke it.

"What the - Ohohohoho..." Scratch's eyes drifted up to the top of his head before he realized what was happening. "No way. No how! This. Is. My. Bed!"

"Come on!"

Scratch sighed, finally relenting. "All right, all right. But please don't bother me, okay?"

Grounder, delighted, climbed up into the bed, nestling himself into the warmth. He was just about to doze off when Scratch rolled over and reminded him of one thing.

"A-and don't do that thing you just did."

"What, this?"


End file.
